NFL Top 50: Jim Brown is best player in league history, edges Giants' Lawrence Taylor in Daily News' rankings (Nos. 1-10)

The Daily News commissioned a 15-member blue-ribbon panel of NFL experts to vote on the top football players of all time.

The Daily News commissioned a 15-member blue-ribbon panel of NFL experts to vote on their top 30 players of all time. From that list, we compiled the top 50 vote-getters. In the final installment of our countdown to the best player ever, we reveal Nos. 1-10.

The competition was intense and the achievements were spectacular, but there can only be one player who stands alone at the top of the mountain as the very best player in the 95-year history of the NFL: Jim Brown.

The Cleveland Browns' fast, bruising running back was voted the greatest player in NFL history by a 15-member blue-ribbon panel commissioned by the Daily News to pick the 50 greatest players of all time.

Jim Brown is an unstoppable force during his playing days. (Focus On Sport/Getty Images)

"Paul Brown called him the best football player he ever saw," said Bill Polian, the former GM of the Bills, Panthers and Colts. "I share that opinion."

Brown played only nine seasons (1957-65) in the NFL before abruptly quitting and concentrating on his movie career. He retired with 12,312 yards, which at the time was the most in history. He is now ninth. He is one of the greatest athletes in sports history.

He was born in Georgia, but moved to Manhasset, L.I., when he was 8 years old, became a star at Manhasset High School and later as a football and lacrosse legend at Syracuse. In the NFL, he was a three-time MVP and unanimous first-team All-NFL eight times. He was 6-2, 232, a nightmare for defenses, and led the league in rushing eight times.

In Brown's first four years, the regular season was just 12 games. It was 14 games for his last five years. That makes his average of 1,368 yards per season even more impressive. He had 1,527 yards in his second season and then a career-high 1,863 yards in his seventh season, which if played out over a 16-game schedule would still be a league-record 2,129 yards. Eric Dickerson holds the single-season record with 2,105 yards in 1984. The NFL went to a 16-game season in 1978.

"Jim Brown is No. 1 because when he played, he maintained a bigger physical advantage than any player in any era," panelist Mike Francesa said.

Lawrence Taylor, who has become good friends with Brown over the years, only saw him play on tape.

"He was a beast," Taylor said. "He was built like a brick s---house. He's all man. Fast and strong."

The eight backs who moved past Brown on the rushing list all played at least 10 years. Six of them played only in 16-game seasons. Walter Payton played three seasons when it was 14 games and Tony Dorsett played one.

Brown had planned to make the 1966 season his last in the NFL. But when shooting delays on "The Dirty Dozen" meant he was going to remain in London on the movie set and be late to training camp in Hiram, Ohio, it caused a rift between him and Browns owner Art Modell, who threatened to fine him $1,500 per week. Brown instead retired at age 30 with one year left on a two-year contract that paid him $60,000 per year.

"I am leaving the Cleveland Browns with an attitude of friendliness and cooperation," Brown said at a news conference in London in 1966. "Once I return to Cleveland I'll do everything I can to help the Browns — other than playing."

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He was an all-time athlete. "Simply the greatest ball carrier of all time," panelist Ernie Accorsi said.

He had Brown second. So did panelist Peter King.

"Jim Brown higher than any quarterback?" King said. "Well, he dominated more than any quarterback has, and he did it in a time when the running game was everything. He was as big as a linebacker, as fast as a receiver. Imagine averaging a 100-yard game for your career. He averaged 104.3."

Brown finished in the top five on every ballot. Ultimately, he's No. 1.

It's often hard to project how players from different eras would do today, but Brown would have been unstoppable now, too.

Lawrence Taylor. (John F. Grieshop/John F. Grieshop/WireImage.com)

No. 2 Lawrence Taylor

Linebacker, New York Giants, 1981-93

Lawrence Taylor changed the game, and despite so many attempts by LT wannabes, there will never be another one quite like him.

He was an intimidating combination of strength and speed who wrecked offenses and quarterbacks (ask Joe Theismann). He was voted the second-best player in NFL history by the Daily News 15-member blue ribbon panel right behind Jim Brown.

"It's pretty cool," L.T. said by phone Tuesday from Florida when he was informed of the honor. "In this league of so many great players, I wouldn't think I would be this high. I am really appreciative. That's an honor with the class of guys who have played in this league. To be considered one of the best, that's great. Jim Brown, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, those names are icons. To be considered the best is one thing. Two is pretty good."

And because Brown was a running back, of course, that means the Daily News panel considers Taylor the greatest defensive player in NFL history. "I'm really excited about it," he said, laughing. "I'm still making news."

Taylor had his share of problems off the field as a player and in his post-career life, but has been working hard to keep himself out of trouble and rehabilitate his image. The more time he spends on the golf course, it seems, the better off he is.

Taylor was such a dominant pass rusher from his right outside linebacker spot in the Giants' 3-4 defense it was impossible for running backs to block him. So, he started seeing double-teams with tight ends.

Finally, innovative 49ers coach Bill Walsh assigned an offensive lineman to block LT during his rookie year in 1981. He would have left guard John Ayers swing out and try to catch Taylor coming off the edge.

Soon, it became LT against left tackles. He finished with 132½ sacks in his 13-year career. That does not include the 9½ he recorded as a rookie before sacks were an official statistic.

In the Giants' first Super Bowl season in 1986, LT became the first defensive player to be named league MVP in 15 years.

"The longer I've been around professional football the more convinced I am that you can't win titles without an exceptional quarterback. To me, Unitas is the gold standard," former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi said. "The other indispensable ingredient needed for a championship team is a great pass rush. Lawrence Taylor was the best pass rusher I've ever seen."

NO. 1 IS A RUNAWAY Brown was the overwhelming No. 1 pick on our list, garnering eight first-place votes from the 15-member panel.

Each voter was asked to pick his top 30 players in order, and the 15 panelists produced more than 90 names. Thirty points were awarded for a first-place vote, 29 for a second, down to one point for a 30th-place vote. Brown led in first-place votes and total points with 435.

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Although Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor didn't pick up one first-place vote, he finished second with 390 total points, followed by Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas (388).

Packers receiver Don Hutson is the only other player to receive more than one first-place vote: Peter King of NBC Sports and the editor-in-chief of The MMQB.com, and Pro Football Hall of Fame vice president Joe Horrigan had him first.

THE REST OF THE TOP 10

3. Johnny Unitas

Quarterback, Baltimore Colts 1956-72, San Diego Chargers 1973

The legend of Johnny U is unparalleled in football history. A ninth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers, he then got cut by the perennial NFL doormats, and ended up working construction and playing semi-pro ball only to land with the Baltimore Colts the next year to lead a dynasty. Unitas became the model for the modern pro quarterback as the Colts relied on his strong arm to become a pass-first team. He was the first QB to throw for more than 40,000 yards despite most of his seasons being 12 or 14 games. In 1959, he become the first QB to throw for over 30 TDs with a then-record 32. He set a record by throwing a touchdown pass in 47 straight games, a mark that lasted 52 years. A five-time All-Pro and a three-time NFL MVP (1959, 1964, 1967), he helped the Colts to three NFL titles. He threw for 369 yards and a touchdown in leading the Colts to victory in The Greatest Game Ever Played. In Super Bowl V, he threw a then-record 75-yard touchdown pass to John Mackey before Dallas knocked him out of the game with a rib injury.

Joe Montana. (George Rose/Getty Images)

4. Joe Montana

Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers 1979-92, Kansas City Chiefs 1993-94

Joe Cool. The Catch. The Super Drive. A legend. One of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, if not the best. Montana went 4-0 in the Super Bowl en route to becoming a pop culture icon. Known for his calm under pressure, he directed 31 fourth-quarter come-from behind victories. While his arm strength wasn't the greatest, his success and legendary status led to the 49ers' West Coast offense being copied or at least influencing virtually every other team in the league. It also enabled others to surpass him in statistical categories but not stature. He threw for more than 300 yards in a game 39 times, including seven times in which he surpassed 400 yards. His six 300-yard passing performances in the postseason are an NFL record. He owns the career playoff record for attempts, completions, touchdowns, and yards gained passing.

In 1994 Montana became just the fifth quarterback to pass for more than 40,000 yards in a career. At the time of his retirement, he ranked fourth in career passing yards (40,551), attempts (5,391), and passing touchdowns (273). His 3,409 completions ranked third all-time, and his career passer rating of 92.3 was second all-time.

The most prolific receiver in NFL history came to the Niners in 1985 out of Mississippi Valley State after Bill Walsh traded up to No. 16 to grab him. Led NFL in receiving yards six times including a record 1,848 yards in 1995. Rice led the NFL in touchdown catches six times. Owns career marks for receptions (1,549), yards (22,895), most 1,000-yard seasons (14) and total TDs (208).

Rice was named first-team All-Pro 11 straight seasons and was voted to the NFL's All-Decade Teams of the 1980s AND 1990s.

Rice was named MVP of Super Bowl XXIII with 11 catches for 215 yards, including a 14-yard TD grab in the fourth quarter. He caught three passes for 51 yards on the last drive. On the winning play, Rice went in motion to the left side and turned upfield right next to John Taylor. That drew double coverage to Rice, leaving Taylor room to cut to the post and get open for the winning score. In four Super Bowls, all wins, Rice set career marks with 33 catches, 589 yards and eight touchdowns.

Rice missed just 10 games (three of which were the strike games in 1987) in 20 seasons.

The quintessential quarterback when it comes to numbers — Manning owns them all, and many consider him the greatest quarterback of all time. He also possibly the most popular player in the history of the NFL.

He has won a record five NFL MVPs, is a 10-time All-Pro, has thrown for over 4,000 yards a record 13 times, has thrown an NFL-record 527 TD passes (and counting), threw a record 55 TD passes and for 5,477 yards in 2013 ... and ... you get the idea. He is one of two quarterbacks to ever beat all 32 teams (along with Brett Favre). Manning has thrown for 37 TDs and 6,589 yards in 23 playoff games.

He won MVP honors in Super Bowl XLI in the rain in Miami by throwing for 247 yards and a TD.

No quarterback has ever controlled the game at the line of scrimmage like Manning — "OMAHA! OMAHA!" — and the pre-snap routine has earned him the nickname "The Sheriff." Critics point to his losing record in the playoffs (11-12, including 1-2 in the Super Bowl) as the reason he is not the greatest ever. Still, this year, Bill Belichick called Manning the "best quarterback I've coached against."

Tom Brady (Simmons, Howard/New York Daily News)

7. Tom Brady

Quarterback, New England Patriots, 2000-present

Tom Brady is the player that should have put the NFL scouting combine out of business. One of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the league went 199th, in the sixth round, to the Patriots in Bill Belichick's first New England draft. It was not until the next season that Brady, who grew up a 49ers fan and was in the stands at Candlestick for The Catch, began to make history. Thanks to Jets linebacker Mo Lewis knocking out Drew Bledsoe in Week 2 in 2001, Brady took over and a dynasty was born. You know the rest — The Tuck Rule, upsetting the Rams in the first of three Super Bowl victories and a slew of records. Brady's passion for the game and distaste for losing are as legendary as his accomplishments on the field.

He joined Joe Montana as the only players to win NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP multiple times. He and John Elway are the only two quarterbacks to lead their teams to five Super Bowls. He has won two Super Bowl MVPs, two NFL MVPs and won an NFL record 18 postseason games, including a record 10 straight. Has a .500 or better regular-season record against all 31 other teams.

Dick Butkus. (Tony Tomsic/NFL)

8. Dick Butkus

Linebacker, Chicago Bears, 1965-73

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The most feared tackler in the history of the NFL. In his nine seasons, the Maestro of Mayhem was All-NFL six times and made eight straight Pro Bowls. The middle linebacker had his career cut short by knee injuries, but even while hobbled in the last three, he could not be stopped. The man who played for the Bears played and acted like one. Dishing out punishing hits wasn't his only asset — he had the agility to cover running backs and tight ends out of the backfield. Butkus had 22 interceptions and recovered 27 fumbles, and forced many more before that was an official stat.

The Chicago native became a two-time All-American at Illinois then a first-round pick of the Bears in the same draft that netted Gale Sayers. He made an immediate impact with 11 unassisted tackles in his pro debut against the 49ers. He had 18 sacks (then an unofficial stat) in 1967 and led the Bears in tackles for eight straight seasons.

As noted football poet (and No. 12 player on the Daily News list) Deacon Jones put it, "Roses are red and violets are blue... if you got any sense, you'll keep Butkus away from you."

The Minister of Defense was arguably the best defensive lineman in NFL history. He was a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and retired in 2000 as the NFL's career sack leader with 198. White used his combination of size (6-5) and speed to terrorize quarterbacks for 15 seasons, earning All-Pro honors 13 times.

After starring at Tennessee and playing two seasons with the Memphis Showboats, he joined the Eagles when the USFL folded in 1985 and set an Eagles record with 21 sacks in 1987 in just 12 games. White's most influential move came off the field when he threatened to file an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL, paving the way for free agency. After eight years with the Eagles, with whom he had more sacks (124) than games played (121), White signed with the Packers, where he helped put the title back in Titletown, USA. White set a Super Bowl record with three sacks, including back-to-back sacks of Drew Bledsoe in the third quarter, as the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI, 35-21. White had a team-high 11 sacks the next year to help the Packers get back to the Super Bowl, but he could not get to John Elway and the Packers fell to Denver.

White had 16 sacks the next year then retired. He came out of retirement in 2000 to play for the Panthers before calling it quits for good.

Walter Payton. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

10. Walter Payton

Running back, Chiacgo Bears 1975-87

The man known as "Sweetness" was anything but when it came to the people trying to tackle him. Payton could burst through a hole or make a tackler miss but relished in plowing into and then over defenders. The numbers are staggering — 16,726 rushing yards, 110 rushing touchdowns, 21,803 combined net yards, 125 combined touchdowns, 77 100-yard rushing games. He retired as the all-time leader in rushing and had 10 seasons of over 1,200 yards.

But the numbers alone are not what makes Payton an immortal. Payton missed just one game in his career, in his rookie year. Payton also prided himself on being an excellent — and willing — blocker. He got out of bed with the flu on Nov. 20, 1977 and set the single-game rushing record with 275 yards on 40 carries against the Vikings. Payton was named NFL MVP in '77, rushing for 1,852 yards and 14 TDs and was NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 1985 when he rushed for 1,551 yards to lead Bears to their lone Super Bowl victory.

Payton died in 1999 from a rare liver disease, and to honor his legacy as a humanitarian, the NFL put his name on its Man of the Year Award.

OUR READERS' TOP 10

1. Jim Brown

2. Joe Montana

3. Lawrence Taylor

4. Johnny Unitas

5. Jerry Rice

6. Peyton Manning

7. Dick Butkus

8. Walter Payton

9. Gale Sayers

10. Ronnie Lott

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BLUE RIBBON PANEL

Ernie Accorsi: Giants GM from 1997-2006 and former GM of Colts and Browns.

Jerry Angelo: Bears GM from 2001-2011, built the team that went to the Super Bowl in 2006.